Mechanism por supplying plttids fkose one airship to another while in



May 26, 1931. J ULLENDQRFF 1,806,834

U MECHANISM FOR SUPPLYING FLUIDS FROM ONE AIRSHIP TO ANOTHER WHILE INFLIGHT Filed Sept. 25, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet '1 Q I 2a m ii a Q 1 i i I? qI J0 J7 den/7 U/kfidor/f V H'I l Z 7//0rney May 26, 1931.

J. ULLENDORFF ,834

MECHANISM FOR SUPPLYING FLUIDS FROM ONE AIRSHIP TO ANOTHER WHILE INFLIGHT Filed Sept. 25, 1929 4- Sheets-Sheet S May 1931- J. ULLENDORFF1,806,834

MECHANISM FOR SUPPLYING FLUIDS FROM ONE AIRSHIP TO ANOTHER WHILE INFLIGHT 4 Shegts-Sheet 3 Filed Sept.

INVENTOR Lu ATTORNEY May 26, 1931. J ULLENDQRFF 1,806,834

" MECHANISM FOR SUPPLYING FLUIDS FROM ONE AIRSHIP TO ANOTHER WHILE INFLIGHT Filed Sept. 25, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented May 26, 1931UNITED STATES JENNIE ULLENDORFF, F PORTLAND, OREGON MECHANISM FORSUPPLYING FLUIDS FROM ONE AIRSHIP TO ANOTHER WHILE IN FLIGHT Applicationfiled September 25, 1929. Serial No. 395,079.

My present application relates to my pending United States patentappllcation filed January 10, 1929, Serial Number 331,680 on a new anduseful improvement in a mecha-- nism for supplying fluids from one airship to another while in flight. I

The object of my present application 1s to refuel airplanes while inflight.

A further object of my present appllcation is to simultaneously refuel,and to re plenish the water and oil for the airplane simultaneously andat the same time to conduct the elements through a hose having aplurality of passageways disposed therethrough with a passage for eachof the elements.

In my former application the mother ship was shown as being superposedthe aided ship, while in my present application the mother ship isdisposed at a lower altitude than that of the ship that is beingsupplied with the fluids.

A cable is disposed in the ship to be refueled and is let down by theunwinding of a drum until a connection is effected between the cable andthe discharge end of the hose located upon the mother ship. When thecable is attached to the hose the cable is wound about a drum until thehose is brought 3 up and the hose is connected to a manifold disposedwithin the ship to be aided. When the hose has been attached to themanifold,

a motor is started for each fluid to be pumped.

Each fluid is pumped independently and delivered through the manifold tothe respective receiving tank for the fluid holding tank intended.Should one of the tanks become filled before the other of the tanks isfilled, the fluid is bypassed and returned to the tank from which thesame is being pumped. When all of the tanks are filled, the hose isdiscon-' nected from the manifold and is returned into the hose lockerdisposed within the mother ship. A counter weight is disposed upon aloop disposed within the hose for maintaining the hose in a tautcondition while the refueling is in process. The counterweight maintainsthe hose in a taut condition at all times during the refuelingoperation.

Other objects of my invention is to refuel the ship being served frombelow, and thereby prevent oils and gas from being dissipated upon theship being supplied with fuel and oil.

A further object of my invention is to reduce the time to a minimum thatwill be required in the servicing operation.

Further objects of my invention reside in mechanisms adapted to thecompletion of the service with allelements simultaneously.

Still further objects of my invention reside in simple elements adaptedfor maintaining the hose being used for the passage of fluidstherethrough under tension at all times during the transfer of thefluids therethrough.

Still further objects of my invention consists in providing automaticmeans for the opening of the valves in the discharge end of the hose andin the manifold when the connection is made between the two and forautomatically closing the valves when the connection is broken betweenthe discharge head of the hose and the manifold.

With these and incidental objects in view, the invention consists incertain novel features of construction and combination of parts, theessential elements of which are set forth in the appended claims, and a.preferred form of embodiment of which is hereinafter shown withreference to the drawings which accompany and form a part of thisspecification.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a side view, partially in section,

of the ship being served.

Fig. 2 is a side View, partially in section, of

the mother ship. The transfer hose is illustrated as being connectedbet-ween the mother ship and the ship being served. a

Fig. 3 is a front view of the discharge head of the hose shown attachedto the receiving head, disposed at the manifold of the receiving ship.

Fig. 4 is a side View, partially in section, of

the mechanism illustrated in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a cross section view of the discharge head disposed at thedischarge end of the hose, the same being taken on line 55 of Fig. 3looking in the direction indicated.

Fig. 6 is a cross section View, taken on 199 line 66 of Fig. 3 lookingin the direction inposed upon the mother ship and through which the hoseis passed in the resupplying operation. A shoe is shown for maintainingthe hose in a restricted operating condition.

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary, side view of the mother ship and of thereceiving ship and illustrating the cable in operation for the raisingor lowering of the hose.

Fig. 12 is a side view of the receiving ship shown partially in sectionand illustrating a modified form of inlet manifold and hose connection.

Figs. 13 and 14 are side views, partially in section, of the two ships,and illustrating the hose disposed between the two respective ships andconnected to each. A modified form of element is disposed within themother ship for maintaining the hose in a relatively taut conditionwhile the connection exists between the respective ships.

Like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the severalviews.

1 is the ship to be serviced and 2 is the mother ship. A hose 3 issecured to a manifold 5 upon its one end and normally rests in the hoselocker 5 of the mother ship. The manifold 4 of the mother ship has pipes6, 7 and 8 leading from the manifold 4 to the respective tanks 9, 10 and11 disposed within the mother ship. The tanks are for the purpose ofcarrying motor fuel, oil and water. Electric driven pumping units aredisposed within each of the pipe lines disposed. between the tanks andthe manifold and are for pumping the elements from the tanks through thehose to the ship to be serviced.

The hose may be made with a plurality of passageways leading through thebody element of the hose, or the transfer may be 'made throughindependent hoses, each of which is connected to the head 12 of theinlet end of the hose. When so made the respective hose units should besecured together. A reeling drum 13 is carried by the ship to beserviced and a cable 14 is wound about the drum. The drum may be poweractuated, or manually actuated, and I have here shown a drum as beingactuated by a hand crank lever 15. The crank 15 is secured to a shaft 16that is journaled within suitable bearings disposed within therespective brackets 17 and 18 that are mounted upon the base 19.

'face.

The base 19 is secured by any suitable fastening means to the supportingwall 20 of the carrying ship to which the same is attached. A frictionhub 21 is fixedly positioned'upon the shaft 16 and the drum 13 isdisposed upon the shaft and is rotatably mounted thereupon. Frictionelements 22 are fixedly positioned upon one face of the hub 21 engagingthe face 23 of the drum 13. The frictional contact is developed by theengaging surfaces through the action of the compressible elements 24. Ahand lever 25 is adapted to engage and disengage the engaging sur- It isdesirable-to have this frictional engagement to afford flexibility t0the line or cable that connects the ship to be serviced With that of themother ship.

.A ratchet wheel 26 is disposed upon the outer surface of one end of thedrum and a pawl 27 normally rides upon the toothed surface. When aconnection is desired to be made between the ship to be serviced and themother ship, the cable 14 is reeled downward until the same may becaught by the attendant of the mother ship, at which time the free endof the cable 14 is attached to the discharge end 28 of the hose 3. Thehose 3 is then reeled in through the action of the winding drum untilthe discharge end of the hose 28 is connected to the manifold 29 that isdisposed upon the ship to be serviced. Referring to Fi 3 and to Fig. 4,the manifold 29 carries loc (ing pawls 30 and 31. Engaging pawls 32 and33 are carried by the discharge head of the hose and the respectivepawls are in registerable alignment with each other. The pawls 32 and 33are rockably disposed about supporting pins 34 and 35 and the arms ofthe engaging pawls 32 and 33 are connected together on their lower endby a tensioning spring 36. The tension upon the spring may be regulatedby the action of the adjusting screw 37 and the desired tension isplaced upon the spring 36 through the adjusting nut 38 that isthreadably positioned along the adjusting screw 37. When the connectionis completed between the manifold 29 and the discharge head 28 of thehose the locking elements are in re isterable engagement with eachother. ghould an undue shock be placed upon the hose 3, the engaginghead and manifold are disengaged from each other. A plurality of valvesare carried within the inlet manifold and pipes 39, 40 and 41 lead fromthe manifold 29 to tanks disposed within the ship to be serviced andmotor fuel, oil and water may be pumped through the respective pipesdirectly intothe tanks of the receiving shlp from the mother ship. Avalve is disposed at the inlet end of each of the pipes and each valvestem carries an arm 42. Studs 43 are carried by the discharge head .ofthe hose and are in registerable alignment with the arms 42 and as theconnection is completed between the manifold and the discharge head, thestuds 43 man pulate the arms 42 and open the valves. Springs 44 normallymaintain the valves in closed position. Valves 45 are also carried bythe discharge head of the hose and studs are also carried by themanifold as illustrated at 46. The studs 46 are in registerableengagement with the operating levers 47 secured to the valves 45 and asthe registerable engagement. is completed between the manifold and thedischarge head, the valves 45 are opened and are maintained open so longas a complete connection is maintained between the manifold and thedischarge head. Springs 48 normally maintain the valves 45 closed whenthe connection is not completed. With the connection completed betweenthe engaging elements, fluids may be pumped through the respectivepassageways disposed within the hose and be directly pumped from thetanks of the mother ship into the tanks of the receiving ship.

The hose 3 may be maintained in a relatively taut condition by theplacing of a counterweight 49 within a loop 50 of the hose thatdownwardly extends from the under side of the fuselage of the mothership. The counterweight 49 consists of a pulley that rides upon thehose. The pulley is shrouded by a yoke 51 that passes about thecounterweighted pulley 49. A vane 53 rearwardly extends from the yokeand is for maintaining the counterweight in alignment with the streamline of the fuselage.

The hose passes through a guideway 54 disposed upon the mother ship, asillustrated in detail in Fig. 10 and an adjustable shoe 55 engages thehose. A frictional'engagement is maintained between the guideway 54 andthe shoe 55 by an adjusting screw 56. The adjusting screw 56 may beadjusted to maintain a proper working frictional engagement between thehose, the guideway and the shoe.

'1 have illustrated a modified form of construction in Figs. 13 and 14for the handling of the hose and the maintaining of the same in arelatively taut condition. The hose locker is illustrated at 57 in Fig.14 and the hose is trained about guide pulleys 58 and 59. A yoke 60 isconnected to the pin 61 passing through the pulley 59 and a cable 62passes about the pulley 63 and a constant pressure is applied to thepulley 60 and to the loop 64 of the hoiie by the relatively longtensioning element 65. The inlet end 66 of the hose is directly securedto the manifold 67 and the discharge head 68 of the hose is, directlyattachable to the inlet manifold 69. Check valves 70 are disposed ineach of the pipes leading from the manifold 69 disposed within the shipto be serviced. A suitable guideway 71 is disposed within the fuselagefor the maintaining of the pulley 59in alignment and position.

WVhile the form of mechanism herein shown and described is admirablyadapted to fulfill the objects primarily stated, it is to be understoodthat it is not intended to confine the invention to the one form ofembodiment herein shown and described, as it is susceptible ofembodiment in various forms, all coming within the scope of the claimswhich fol- What I claim is:

1. In a device of the class described, the.

combination of a mother ship and a receiving ship, the receiving shipbeing superposed the mother ship, a hose detachably attachable from oneto the other of the ships, means for pumping elements through the hoseand means for maintaining the hose in a relatively taut condition duringthe transfer.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of a mother shipand a receiving ship, the receiving ship being above the mother shipdispensing tanks disposed within the mother ship,.a multi-tubular hoseconnected to the mother ship, intercommunicating conduits connecting thetanks with the hose, pumping units disposed within the conduits,receiving tanks disposed within the receiving ship, a receiving headdisposed within the receiving ship, intercommunicating conduitsconnecting the tanks with the receiving head, means disposed upon thedischarge end of the hose from one ship to theother, automatic meansdisposed upon the discharge end of the hose and upon the receiving headfor preventing loss of the fluids upon the detaching of the hose, andmeans for maintaining the hose in a taut condition during the transferof the fluids.

3. In a device of the class described, in combination with refuelingapparatus disposed in a mother ship and a receiving ship, the receivingship superposed the mother ship, a multi-tubular hose terminating in adischarge head, said head having as many passageways as there areconduits, valves disposed within said passageways, said valves eachhaving an arm disposed thereon and tensioned to maintain the valves in aclosed position, stud receiving openings disposed within the dischargehead, adjustably tensioned engaging means, a receiving head, said headhaving passageways in registerable alignment with the passagewaysdisposed within the discharge head, valves disposed within the receivinghead passageways, said valves each having an arm disposed thereon andtensioned to maintain the valves in a closed position, stud receivingopenings disposed with- .in the receiving head, locking means inregisterable alignment with the discharge head, engaging means disposedupon the head.

4. In a device of the class described, in

combination with refueling apparatus disposed within a receiving shipsuperposed the mother ship, a receiving head divided into a plurality ofpassageways directly aligned with conduits leading to the receivingtanks, a valve disposed within each passageway disposed within thereceiving head, said valve adapted to normally remain closed, lockingpawls disposed upon the peripheral lip, stud receiving openings disposedwithin the head, and a plurality of studs outwardly extend-' ing fromthe receiving head.

5. In a device of the class described, in combination with refuelingapparatus disposed within a mother ship and a receiving ship, thereceiving ship superposed the mother ship, a multi-tubular hoseconnected on its one end to the mother ship conduits and terminating ina discharge head at its free end, adj ustably tensioned engaging meansdisposed upon the discharge head, fluid dispensing passageways disposedwithin the head, a valve disposed within each of said passageways, saidvalves adapted to normally remain closed, stud receiving openingsdisposed within the head, and a plurality of studs outwardly extendingfrom the discharge head.

6. Ina device of the class described, in combination with refuelingapparatus disposed Within a mother ship and a receiving ship, thereceiving ship being superposed the mother ship, a multi-tubular hoseterminating in a discharge head, said head having as many passageways asthere are conduits, a receiving head disposed within the receiving shipand having a like number of passageways in registerable alignment withthe passageways disposedwithin the discharge head, valves disposedwithin the passageways, disengagedly locking means disposed upon thedischarge head and receiving head, and automatic means disposed withinboth heads for the opening of the valves when the heads are locked andfor closing the valves when the connection is broken.

7. In a device of the class described, the combination in a receivingship superposed the mother ship, fluid receiving tanks, a receiving headsecured to the receiving ship, intercommunicating conduits between thereceiving tanks and the receiving head, engaging means disposed upon thereceiving head, and automatically operable valves disposed within thereceiving head.

JENNIE ULLENDORFF.

